MANILA, Philippines — Unprogrammed allocations proposed under the 2025 national funding stand at P158.7 billion, according to Sen. Grace Poe.

Speaking at the Senate’s Thursday budget deliberations, Poe said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s economic managers have proposed an unprogrammed allocation amounting to P158.7 billion, noting that the 2025 budget no longer retains the “fourth mechanism” included in the 2024 budget law.

“The deemed already efficient the excess revenue, especially now that there is an ongoing court case. Meron na naman P158 [billion] lang ang prinopose. P158.7 billion or 2.5 percent for unprogrammed. Maliit lang,” said Poe.

Earlier, Poe vowed to keep an eye on any attempt to increase the unprogrammed appropriations in the proposed P6.352-trillion national expenditure plan for 2025.

The senator previously reminded Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman to be more careful in earmarking taxpayer money for projects that were not included in the government’s regular budgetary process.

Unprogrammed appropriations do not have definite funding sources.

These funds are deemed “on standby” and are released only when the national government collects revenues exceeding targets, generates income from new taxes or the sale of government assets, or secures approved loans for foreign-assisted projects.

READ: Poe wants unprogrammed funds in budget tamed 

Talks on the unprogrammed allocations during the Senate’s Thursday budget deliberations were brought up by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III who earlier questioned the 2024 national budget before the Supreme Court.

The opposition senator especially noted that the P450 billion increase made by Congress on the unprogrammed fund for the present year was unconstitutional.

READ: Pimentel: 2024 budget ‘unconstitutional,’ may be raised before SC 

To recall, it was also Pimentel who previously claimed that the unprogrammed funds tucked under the national funding were being used by some lawmakers to fund their pet projects.

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